What NOT to Do in Uzbekistan (Widespread Errors to Keep away from!)

Uzbekistan is a captivating nation, stuffed with Silk Highway historical past, gorgeous turquoise mosaics, and a few of the greatest memento procuring I’ve ever skilled.

I loved my solo journey to Uzbekistan, which I paired with time in Kazakhstan and Tajikistan. This was my first journey to Central Asia, and it couldn’t have gone any higher!

My journey throughout Uzbekistan took me to 4 of the preferred cities — Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, and Khiva. I realized Persian miniature portray and suzani embroidery. I gawked on the metro stations in Tashkent and even took a day journey into Tajikistan.

And alongside the best way, I fell in love with this unbelievable nation. And so did lots of you, my pricey readers. I’ve by no means seen such a robust reader response to a visit I’ve taken earlier than! I do know lots of you’ll be planning your personal journeys to Uzbekistan quickly.

I really like writing my What NOT to Do posts, educating vacationers what they need to NOT do in numerous locations. As a result of typically you might want to know what to not do earlier than you determine what to do!

I hope this put up helps you intend your personal dream journey to Uzbekistan. Let’s have a look!

This put up was printed in Might 2026.

Don’t assume Uzbekistan is an intimidating or tough vacation spot.

Let’s be trustworthy — not lots of people go to Uzbekistan earlier than they’ve visited, say, Italy or Thailand or Mexico. It tends to be the thirtieth nation individuals have visited, slightly than the third, until they’re from Central Asia themselves.

Due to that — together with the faulty perception that wherever with “Stan” in its title is inherently harmful — many individuals assume that Uzbekistan is greatest fitted to knowledgeable vacationers.

Right here’s the reality: I used to be shocked at how straightforward Uzbekistan was to journey. And I’m not simply saying that as a result of I’m a really skilled traveler.

To begin, Uzbekistan is a really secure vacation spot the place there may be little violent crime and virtually no avenue harassment. Moreover, Uzbekistan is a well-liked vacation spot and has fairly good infrastructure at a wide range of worth factors.

On prime of that, costs are reasonably priced right here. I spent on common $50 per night time for a lodge, $2-3 for a Yandex taxi experience, and $6-8 for dinner. That makes it simpler to justify staying in a nicer place or reserving the next class on a practice.

Crucial issues for touring Uzbekistan are researching the cities you’ll be visiting upfront, reserving practice tickets nicely forward of time, getting an Uzbekistan eSIM, and downloading Yandex Go.

One thing else I discovered fascinating was that there have been SO many giant senior tour teams in Uzbekistan. And from a wide range of nations, too — British, American, French, and I used to be stunned by what number of Italian voices I heard.

Who knew the large, scary Stans could be so common with older of us?

General, I’ve had near-breakdowns in common journey locations like Japan and Italy. I didn’t get wherever near a breakdown in Uzbekistan. My journey was simply clean, begin to end.

Don’t wait till the final minute to e-book practice tickets.

I’m placing this close to the highest as a result of it’s crucial tip on this checklist. Touring by practice is the easiest way to get round Uzbekistan — I took three totally different sorts of trains and located them quick, environment friendly, reasonably priced, and really nice.

However practice tickets are likely to promote out extraordinarily quick — particularly the high-speed Afrosiyab trains operating from Tashkent to Samarkand and Bukhara.

They typically promote out the day they go on sale (!), which is 45-60 days earlier than the journey.

Are you able to simply take the bus as a substitute? After all you’ll be able to — nevertheless it takes for much longer. My high-speed practice from Tashkent to Samarkand took two hours, whereas the bus takes about 5 hours. One in all my guides informed me his bus took seven hours because of visitors.

You may e-book practice tickets by yourself at railway.uz, or you’ll be able to have an Uzbek journey company e-book them for you at a markup.

I used the company Orex CA to purchase one among my tickets, simply to see what the expertise was like, and it was nice, however I might have performed it myself with no points. They charged me 40 USD for a ticket that might have price about 17 USD, so anticipate an honest markup.

And in case your practice is offered out, contact an Uzbek journey company. I heard that many businesses maintain onto tickets on the favored routes, and launch them near the date if no one buys them. So maintain wanting, simply in case.

In case you’re a bit nervous about shopping for the suitable tickets, I like to recommend reaching out to an company no less than 60 days upfront and having them organize them as quickly as they go on sale. The additional price is perhaps definitely worth the peace of thoughts to you.

Don’t put on revealing clothes.

Each time I go to a predominantly Muslim nation, I get girls asking me if it’s essential to put on a headband in public. In most Muslim international locations, a headband is simply vital when visiting an energetic mosque.

However I do like to decorate equally to native girls after I journey solo. Typically which means carrying an extended tunic that buttons to my neck (Southern Lebanon), typically it means carrying denims although it’s roasting out (Cartagena, Colombia).

So how do girls gown in Uzbekistan? Some girls put on the hijab and gown historically in lengthy, free clothes. Some girls put on the hijab and gown in additional trendy methods, like blazers, wide-leg denims, and bomber jackets. Some girls don’t cowl their hair and gown western-style.

However I’ll let you know this: you don’t see Uzbek girls carrying brief skirts, overly tight clothes, or displaying their cleavage. Many ladies gown stylishly, however they don’t present pores and skin.

And that made me glad that I packed a wardrobe that coated my knees, shoulders, and cleavage.

For my April journey, I primarily wore two sorts of outfits: 1) a knee-length gown over cropped or full-length leggings with a denim jacket on prime, or 2) a t-shirt and denims. I’d add on just a few extra layers (a long-sleeved wrap prime, a cardigan) if it was chilly.

For just a few hours on my final day in Tashkent, I did take off the denim jacket and simply wore the sleeveless gown over cropped leggings. Tashkent felt trendy sufficient that displaying my shoulders didn’t really feel disrespectful.

For males and mascs, should you’d like to decorate equally to Uzbek males, I’d persist with carrying lengthy pants and keep away from shorts and tank tops. And PLEASE don’t go for a jog shirtless.

I did see some girls vacationers who had been dressed revealingly. In Khiva, I noticed a western girl in her sixties carrying leggings as pants with a t-shirt that didn’t cowl her butt. And in Samarkand, I noticed two twenty-something Russian girls briefly shorts and tank tops.

They stood out in a nasty approach. Don’t be that individual.

Don’t overlook to obtain the Yandex Go app.

In case you attempt to summon an Uber in Uzbekistan, you’ll be out of luck — right here, the app of alternative is Yandex Go, a preferred app in former Soviet republics. Make sure to obtain it earlier than your journey, since you want a telephone quantity to verify it.

Yandex is important in Uzbekistan. You should utilize it as a taxi app, as a meals supply app, and you’ll even ship objects to be delivered elsewhere.

And Yandex rides are shockingly low cost. More often than not, my rides had been underneath 5 USD for a experience throughout town, often 2-3 USD.

I had a variety of early morning departures in Uzbekistan, the earliest at 3:30 AM (yuck!), and I by no means needed to wait longer than 5 minutes for a Yandex driver. That impressed me.

(There was one exception although: at practice stations shortly after trains arrived. When trains arrived, there was often round a 15-minute await a Yandex. And I couldn’t organize them early as a result of there often wasn’t any telephone sign till we acquired to the station.)

Don’t go to Uzbekistan with out an eSIM.

As a journey security educator, I by no means go to wherever with out an eSIM — and that’s particularly vital for Uzbekistan.

I used an eSIM from Holafly for my journey, and it labored very nicely. I ordered it earlier than my journey, selected the particular dates for it to be energetic, and it began working as quickly as I landed in Tashkent.

In Uzbekistan, the only most vital motive to get an eSIM is having the ability to order Yandex taxis from wherever. I discovered this beneficial when it was too darkish to stroll again to my lodge. I additionally discovered having an eSIM very useful for navigating my approach with Google Maps, translating menus, and speaking with my guides through WhatsApp.

Free wifi is just not as widespread in Uzbekistan as it’s in different international locations, and infrequently wifi networks require an Uzbek telephone quantity so as to join. I used to be so glad I had limitless information and didn’t should take care of that.

I discovered that my Holafly eSIM had glorious sign within the cities of Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, and Khiva, although you shouldn’t anticipate sign on trains in the midst of nowhere.

I additionally love Holafly’s profit referred to as At all times On. Each Holafly eSIM routinely offers 1GB of emergency information per thirty days in additional than 70 locations. In case you have a delayed flight or sudden layover, you’re coated.

You may get 5% off your Holafly Uzbekistan eSIM with the code HOLAKATE, and 10% off month-to-month plans.

Don’t freak out if there isn’t a working seatbelt in your automobile.

This is likely one of the stranger issues I seen in Uzbekistan — seat belts are hardly ever accessible. In a typical Yandex taxi, both the seat belts shall be pushed deep beneath the seat cushions, or there shall be a canopy on prime of the backseat with no holes for seat belts.

In reality, I counted up the Yandex and taxi rides I took in Uzbekistan. I took 19 rides and there was a usable backseat seatbelt FOUR TIMES. That’s it.

The craziest incident was with my driver who picked me up from Khiva’s practice station. I seen there have been no seatbelts within the backseat, as normal, and he beckoned me to sit down within the entrance seat, which had a working seatbelt.

I went to place my belt on and he acquired offended — gesturing to me, “No, don’t try this, you don’t have to try this.” I nodded and smiled and put it on and he acquired angrier, shaking his head.

“No. You’re good. They are dangerous,” I informed him, giving him a thumbs up whereas giving a thumbs right down to the opposite drivers. He finally gave up and drove me to my lodge.

From speaking to locals, I realized that many Uzbek drivers suppose it’s an insult to their driving expertise if a passenger makes use of a seatbelt.

So how do you take care of this? In case you’re touring solo like me, sit within the entrance seat. The entrance seat often has a working seatbelt.

If it’s vital to you to have working seatbelts within the backseat on each journey, you’ll be able to rent a automobile service. These drivers are typically extra skilled than Yandex drivers, and you’ll verify for sure whether or not they have working seatbelts.

It’s going to price much more than 2-3 USD per experience, however it’s going to price lower than hiring a driver for the day in France or Japan or Australia.

Don’t take a “5 Stans” tour.

Many individuals visiting Central Asia for the primary time determine to see the area by a “5 Stans” tour taking in Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. Why not knock all of them out directly?

Truthfully, I perceive the urge. However these three-week excursions are fairly rushed and solely take you to the busiest locations, when the magic typically occurs within the quieter stops.

As a substitute, should you’d like to go to just a few totally different nations, I like to recommend you pair Uzbekistan with one or two different international locations. A Two Stan or Three Stan tour is rather more cheap.

My 17-day journey to Central Asia started with 5 days in Kazakhstan, which was a great period of time for Almaty and an in a single day journey to Lake Kolsay, Lake Kaindy, and Charyn Canyon.

(My authentic plan was to do 5 days in Turkmenistan beforehand, however they rejected my Letter of Invitation, seemingly as a result of I’m politically outspoken with a big following and They Do Not Like That. Oh nicely, it was their loss and guess what — I cherished Kazakhstan!)

I then did a day journey to Tajikistan from Samarkand, visiting Panjakent, the Seven Lakes, and the UNESCO World Heritage-listed ruins of Sarazm.

At the present time journey is straightforward so as to add into any Uzbekistan journey, and Tajikistan is visa-free for a lot of nationalities.

Resist the urge to knock out all of Central Asia directly. That’s actually a two-trip endeavor.

Don’t depart your wide-angle lens at dwelling.

Now, this one is extra for the intense photographers. Uzbekistan is a unbelievable vacation spot for pictures — particularly, architectural pictures.

The interiors of the buildings are stuffed with unbelievable geometric particulars — it’s the sort of artwork you’ll be able to take a look at for hours and nonetheless uncover new issues.

Nevertheless, it’s very tough to {photograph} these interiors correctly until you could have a wide-angle lens. Ideally, a really huge lens.

In case you’re extra of an informal photographer like me and also you’d slightly not cart round a ton of lenses, the iPhone has a reasonably nice wide-angle lens today. Whereas the standard is just not what you’d get with most huge lenses, I really feel prefer it will get the job performed.

Let’s examine two photographs of the ceiling of the Aksaray Mausoleum in Samarkand:

You may see what a distinction it makes!

So should you’re a photographer, convey your wiiiiiiidest lens.

Don’t purchase a particular lens if it’s not in your finances, however maybe think about renting or borrowing one should you’re eager on photographing the interiors of those buildings.

Or possibly simply use your iPhone, like me.

Don’t simply sightsee in Uzbekistan — study a craft, too.

I realized two conventional crafts whereas in Uzbekistan — Persian miniature portray and suzani embroidery — and truthfully, these had been the BEST issues I did on my journey.

Earlier than my journey, an organization referred to as CraftnCulture Uzbekistan reached out to me, asking if I’d be enthusiastic about any of their workshops. WOULD I EVER! Making issues is correct up my alley, and I knew it might permit me to get to know Uzbekistan even higher.

Craftnculture provides workshops in Tashkent, Samarkand, and Bukhara in the whole lot from plov-cooking and bread-making to pottery-painting and mosaic-making to knife-crafting and wood-carving.

In Bukhara, I took a Persian mini portray workshop from acclaimed artist Rafael Toshev, who guided me via portray a pomegranate tree with watercolors on silk paper. (The silk paper is much more finicky than it appears!)

This was SO MUCH FUN. I had forgotten how good it’s to simply draw and paint and make artwork.

I had one of the best time portray my piece and attending to know Rafael. Whereas we had a translator, Rafael and I quickly realized we each spoke French, and we gabbed away the entire time. By the tip of the night, I promised I’d ship my father-in-law to his upcoming present in London this summer time.

In Samarkand, I took a suzani embroidery workshop and realized the artwork of Uzbek embroidery. Artist Feruza guided me, educating me three totally different strategies of conventional stitching earlier than we settled on the best sew collectively.

I like to stitch and embroider, so I wasn’t a whole newbie — however a newbie can completely do that. It takes a while to get the grasp of the stitching, however quickly you’ll go on autopilot and fall right into a trance.

Feruza and I acquired to know each other, and she or he informed me she teaches suzani embroidery to everybody in her household — together with the boys. She even confirmed me photos stitching on the desk together with her toddler grandkids.

Better of all, Feruza gave me sufficient thread that I can proceed stitching my piece at dwelling.

Lastly, whereas in Tashkent, I met up with Craftnculture firm proprietor Yusuf, who himself guided me on a meals and metro tour, which was the proper introduction to the nation.

I acquired to know him and study extra concerning the firm, and truthfully, I’d like to ship SO many extra individuals his approach. Craftnculture is doing issues proper.

(I paid for the Persian mini portray workshop myself and Craftnculture comped me my suzani embroidery workshop in Samarkand and a Chorsu Bazaar and metro station tour in Tashkent.)

Don’t anticipate locals to talk English.

In lots of elements of the world, English is the go-to second language. In Central Asia, nevertheless, locals are likelier to talk Russian as their second language, particularly in the event that they’re over 40 or from a rural space.

In reality, individuals in Uzbekistan typically defaulted to Russian with me, saying spasibo for thanks slightly than the Uzbek rahmat.

And some occasions, younger girls spoke to me in English on behalf of their households, their moms and aunts smiling behind them.

Realizing a little bit of Russian could be very helpful right here, and I like to recommend that you just study just a few Russian phrases. Sure, no, hey, thanks, and numbers 1-5 could make speaking in Uzbekistan a bit simpler.

However you by no means know what is perhaps helpful. On my Tajikistan day journey, one among my fellow vacationers spoke Farsi and our information spoke Tajik again — these two languages are mutually intelligible, in order that they had been in a position to perceive one another!

Don’t anticipate to e-book Uzbekistan Airways along with your bank card.

In case you’re flying domestically inside Uzbekistan, you’ll be flying with Uzbekistan Airways. You would possibly even be flying them internationally.

However Uzbekistan Airways doesn’t take most worldwide playing cards, together with my American and Czech playing cards. I realized this when it was time to make the acquisition and nothing would undergo.

So what do you do if an airline doesn’t take your bank cards? I booked the flight via Expedia.

I by no means e-book with Expedia or every other OTA (on-line journey company) — it’s a lot smarter to e-book instantly with the airline, in case your flight will get canceled and must be rescheduled. I figured a fast flight from Urgench to Tashkent could be unlikely to have any points.

And, in truth, it was nice. So should you’re reserving on Uzbekistan Airways, e-book through an OTA.

Don’t go wherever with out money.

Wherever I journey, I take advantage of bank cards more often than not — it’s higher for factors and higher for monitoring bills in my YNAB finances.

However Uzbekistan may be very cash-oriented. I even needed to pay just a few lodge payments with money, which is one thing I hadn’t performed in awhile.

I wouldn’t go wherever in Uzbekistan and not using a respectable amount of money, since you’ll most likely must hit up an ATM ultimately. In reality, after I was procuring up a storm in Bukhara, I needed to go to the ATM 3 times in at some point!

Some ATMs look regular however are just for with Uzbek financial institution accounts. One financial institution that I perused typically was Kapitalbank, with brilliant yellow ATMs which are straightforward to identify.

One thing else to remember is that you’ll have a ton of payments on you. At one level I had principally the equal of $500 in $5 payments. Simply one thing to remember!

Don’t skip Tashkent.

Tashkent, Uzbekistan’s capital, doesn’t get fairly as a lot consideration as its different cities, and other people typically cite it as boring. However that doesn’t imply it’s best to skip it — I feel it makes the proper touchdown pad for attending to know Uzbek tradition.

On my first full day in Tashkent, I did a Meals Tour and Metro Journey in Tashkent. This was the best possible introduction to town and the nation.

Yusuf and I began at Chorsu Bazaar, an immense spherical market, the place he informed me concerning the meals and produce and had me attempt a number of totally different objects. (I typically get overwhelmed when solo in markets, so I actually appreciated having a information to indicate me what was good.)

Subsequent he took me on a tour of a number of metro stations — and they’re SUPERB. Tashkent has so many cool metro stations, every of them adorned from prime to backside in numerous types. It’s actually a pleasure taking the metro there, simply attending to benefit from the artwork.

We completed up at a giant restaurant specializing in plov, the place we shared three totally different sorts of plov.

(Yusuf laughed at one level as a result of the employees didn’t know who to provide the pot of tea as a result of they didn’t know which of us was older. The youthful individual serves the tea in Uzbekistan! Yusuf is youthful, so he served me tea. You get lower than half of a cup at a time, and it’s handed to you along with your proper hand as you maintain your left hand over your coronary heart.)

Past that, I acquired to get pleasure from some cool espresso outlets and parks in Tashkent. I’m glad I acquired to spend time there.

Don’t go all in on Samarkand.

Samarkand is called the great thing about Uzbekistan, due to its wonderful structure. The Registan and Shah-i-Zinda Mausoleum are two of essentially the most spectacular works of structure within the nation. Each stopped me in my tracks a number of occasions.

And visiting Samarkand is totally a MUST; I couldn’t think about an Uzbekistan journey with out it.

That stated — simply because a metropolis has great issues, it doesn’t imply it has an equally great vibe. I personally didn’t love the vibe of Samarkand as a metropolis, and lots of vacationers I spoke to (although, to be honest — not all of them!) felt equally.

Samarkand is EXTREMELY touristy — it’s principally the Florence of Central Asia. And it welcomes loads of Uzbeks, Central Asians, and other people from all around the world. Due to the crowds, it feels greater than a bit theme park-y.

There was additionally fixed visitors in Samarkand, and the power of town felt a bit disturbing to me. At occasions, it felt robust even discovering a restaurant. A stunning variety of eating places open for lunch had been closed for dinner. This did lead me to discovering just a few holes within the wall, although!

I’m saying this as a result of I typically see individuals go Samarkand-heavy of their itineraries. You don’t have to try this.

So how a lot time is sweet for Samarkand? I spent three full days there, with at some point being my Tajikistan day journey, and that was the proper period of time. I might have added an additional day if I had needed to day journey to Shahrisabz, one other cool metropolis close by.

Don’t purchase souvenirs till you get to Bukhara.

Uzbekistan has a few of the greatest memento procuring I’ve ever skilled. A few of the most well-known merchandise listed below are silks dyed in colourful ikat patterns, conventional suzani embroidery items, and beautiful patterned pottery.

And that’s not all. There are Persian miniature work, bread stamps in a wide range of patterns, and tiny pairs of scissors formed like birds.

Want to purchase one thing for males (which I at all times discover a problem)? They’ve acquired knives, too! You guess I purchased my husband a cool knife.

However the best possible procuring in Uzbekistan is in Bukhara. I discovered the standard of merchandise right here to be typically higher than what I noticed in Samarkand and Khiva, and Bukhara occurs to be the house of native arts like rug-weaving and gold zarduzlik embroidery.

Bukhara can be dwelling to a few conventional buying and selling domes via which Silk Highway vacationers handed via on their journey (not not like a duty-free store on the airport in the present day). These domes are nonetheless energetic in the present day.

That doesn’t imply you shouldn’t purchase one thing in one other metropolis. In case you discover one thing you’re keen on, purchase it! I purchased a chunk of suzani embroidery from Feruza, my embroidery trainer in Samarkand, and her work is beautiful.

However I like to recommend you save the hardcore looking for when you hit Bukhara. Oh, and finances a LOT greater than you had been planning. It took all my willpower to not purchase an $819 lengthy purple ikat silk jacket.

Don’t assume Khiva is just too distant.

Khiva felt a lot totally different than in all places else. It is a gorgeous walled metropolis within the coronary heart of the desert and it genuinely seems like an oasis on the Silk Highway.

But it surely’s removed from the whole lot, which is why some individuals skip it. It’s both a six-hour practice experience from Bukhara or an 80-minute flight from Tashkent.

But it surely’s very a lot definitely worth the journey. I took a sleeper practice from Bukhara that departed at 5:42 AM and arrived round 11:37 AM, and it couldn’t have been extra nice. My three compartment-mates and I slept a bit, then I learn and relaxed with my ft up as we chugged throughout the desert.

After all, you might want to settle for Khiva for what it’s. The Ichan Kala, the world inside the partitions, is 100% geared towards tourism, not not like Kotor, Montenegro, or San Gimignano, Italy. If you wish to expertise native life, you’re going to should transcend the partitions.

However it’s so stunning, it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Web site, and it’s so visually totally different to the opposite common cities of Uzbekistan.

And if you wish to go additional west, you’ll be able to head to town of Nukus, and even camp in a single day at what was the Aral Sea, full with shipwrecks suspended in sand.

Don’t solely eat plov.

It’s straightforward to get sucked into solely consuming plov whereas in Uzbekistan. It’s ubiquitous, it’s low cost, there are tons of regional variations, and better of all, it’s completely scrumptious!

Plov is a rice dish made with meat, onions, carrots (typically a mixture of orange and yellow carrots), and different accoutrements like raisins, chickpeas, or apricots. Plov is the place the phrase “pilaf” comes from!

And truthfully, it’s straightforward to finish up consuming it for each meal in Uzbekistan. However I like to recommend you get out of the plov zone once in a while.

So, what must you eat moreover plov?

Shashlik — meat kabobs grilled on a skewer — are a extremely popular choice in Uzbekistan, most likely second solely to plov, they usually additionally really feel like a wholesome choice after days of heavier delicacies. I’d often get two meats and a vegetable skewer.

Laghman is a well-liked dish in Central Asia, due to the affect of the Uyghurs of western China. These hand-pulled noodles are thick and chewy, and are often served in a soup with meat of some sort.

Shivit Oshi is a well-liked dish in Khiva: dill noodles topped with beef and potatoes. Scrumptious!

I discovered that eating places in Khiva had been good about speaking native dishes from Khiva and the encompassing Khorazm area.

And should you simply really feel like a snack, seize a samsa — a stuffed pastry. They often come stuffed with meat, or typically pumpkin or different greens, however my favorites had been filled with a mixture of sautéed potatoes and onions.

Don’t are available summer time (until it’s important to).

I visited Uzbekistan in April, and that was by design. From what I learn, spring and fall are one of the best occasions of 12 months to go to, as a result of the summers could be very popular and the winters could be chilly and bleak.

April turned out to be an ideal month for Uzbekistan and the Almaty area of Kazakhstan. I had some chilly moments (within the mountains of Kazakhstan and Tajikistan), however the days had been beautiful for essentially the most half.

However Khiva was HOT. Some days, the noon temperatures had been as excessive as 90 F (32 C). In APRIL. I spent the afternoons in Khiva holed up in my lodge room — there was no motive to be out when it was that sizzling.

Khiva could also be hotter than the opposite cities, due partly to its location within the desert, nevertheless it acquired fairly sizzling in Tashkent round that point as nicely. I can’t think about how sizzling it will get in the summertime months.

For that motive, I like to recommend you keep away from visiting Uzbekistan in summer time if attainable.

(With my everlasting caveat for academics and different individuals who should journey in the summertime — if summer time is your solely choice, you can also make it work. Simply ensure you tempo your self and keep inside within the afternoons.)

On the similar time, know that this isn’t essentially the case for different elements of Central Asia. In case you’re visiting excessive altitude locations, particularly in Kyrgyzstan or Tajikistan or alongside the Pamir Freeway, summer time is THE time to go. Some locations is perhaps inaccessible exterior in summer time.

Don’t backtrack to Tashkent…until you wish to.

Once I first booked my flights to Central Asia, I made a decision to fly into Almaty, Kazakhstan, and out of Tashkent, Uzbekistan. I’d fly from Almaty to Tashkent in between. That’s what made sense on the time.

And so the Uzbekistan portion of my itinerary had me journey by practice from Tashkent to Samarkand to Bukhara to Khiva, then I flew from Urgench Airport (close to Khiva) again to Tashkent.

However after I was at Urgench Airport, I noticed that folks had been boarding a Turkish Airways flight to Istanbul. WHAT? Who knew that was even an choice?!

Turkish Airways may be very well-connected in Central Asia, they usually run flights from Istanbul to Tashkent, Samarkand, Bukhara, and Urgench.

Had I recognized that, I’d have flown dwelling from Urgench (assuming the value was respectable). I didn’t actually have a motive to return to Tashkent, and since I at all times give myself a beneficiant buffer with flights, I principally added on two further days that I didn’t want.

Nevertheless…I loved these final two days in Tashkent.

I stayed at Lotte Metropolis Inns Tashkent Palace, a four-star lodge in a pleasant neighborhood for simply $117 per night time. I went to the Museum of Utilized Arts. I took lengthy walks. I visited plenty of coffeeshops. I frolicked with my buddy Megan.

And you already know what? After 9 days of family-run guesthouses, Uzbek meals, and early mornings, it was good to relax in a luxurious, nameless lodge, order room service lasagna, and decompress a bit earlier than flying dwelling.

It might need added two further days, however that was a good way to finish my journey to Uzbekistan.

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